Timing apparatus



March 1963 s. M. BARBER 3,082,301

TIMING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2, 1959 F/G. 26 lo NONE . Fla. 3

2 sci 4e 4o FIG. 4

I8 42 I I2? 22 2o /62 44! 5 58 9 40 60 M11 62 so L26 Fla 2 I 26 s. MoRGA lv y gE R ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,082,301 TIMING APPARATUS S. Morgan Barber, San Marcos, Califi, assignor to Barmart, San Marcos, Califl, a partnership consisting of S. Morgan Barber and Ernest N. Martin Filed Feb. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 790,672 1 Claim. (Q1. 200-38) The present invention relates to a timing apparatus and more particularly to a timing apparatus which may be operated to adjust the duration of a given operation.

The present timing apparatus is particularly adapted to a vending machine wherein it is important to be able to dispense measured quantities of material. The apparatus may be operated by manipulating one or more selector knobs which are carried at the front of the assembly and face outwardly of the vending machine in which the apparatus is mounted. For purposes of illustration, let us assume that the vending machine is designed to dispense coffee, and the present apparatus is included to measure out desired amounts of cream and sugar. As will become apparent hereinafter, the operator may rotate the selector knobs to choose the amount of cream and sugar which he desires. The rotation of these knobs changes the rotated position of a pair of timer means with respect to a pair of switches, respectively, and the relative location of the switches with respect to portions of the timer means dictates the quantities of cream and sugar dispensed.

More particularly, the apparatus includes the well known synchronous motor or the like, and this motor serves to actuate a rotatable driver means or member which preferably takes the form of a single sheet metal disk. Slipably engageable with this driver disk are the pair of rotatable driven means. The pair of rotatable driven means are rotated by the driver disk when the motor is energized. However, the pair of driven means are not fixedly secured to the driver disk, but may be rotated independently thereof upon application of a sutfi.

cient amount of torque. That is, when the driver disk is not rotating, such as when the motor is de-energized, the pair of driven means may be turned by reason of the slipping or clutch-like engagement between the driven means and the driver disk.

Each of the driven means comprises a pair of superimposed disks which are coupled together and mounted on a common axis which is parallel to, and preferably spaced from, the axis of the driver disk. A portion of the periphery or edge of the driver disk is carried or sandwiched between the adjacent periphery of the two disks of the driven means, and the three disks are urged together at their peripheries by a bias means. This bias means exerts its bias force to maintain frictional engagement of the edge of the driver disk between the adjacent pair of edges of the driven disks. Thus the driven disks may be rotated independently of the driver disk, but sufficient frictional engagement exists that, when the motor is energized, the driver disk will rotate the driven disks. This description of one of the pair of driven means is applicable to the other driven means previously mentioned.

In one form of the present invention, one of the pairs of disks, constituting one of the driven means, may be formed into a stop element engageable with the frame of the present apparatus to limit the maximum and minimum duration of dispensing. In addition, each of the pairs of disks carry or are formed to provide a detent portion for accepting the roller of a switch arm carried by the switch. When this roller rides upon the periphery of the disk, the dispensing operation is in progress, but when the roller drops into the detent portion, the dispensing operation is terminated.

Thus the present apparatus is adapted to permit the driven means to be rotated relative to the driver means 3,082,301 Patented Mar. 19, 1963 to select any desired dispensing time, and the dispensing time selected for one driven means is independent of the dispensing time selected for the other driven means. In addition, a plurality of dispensing operations may be controlled by -the one driven member since various numbers of driven means may be coupled to the driver member. Also, it is impossible to damage the mechanism of the present apparatus, or damage the motor, or overload the motor, since the driven means may be rotated independently of the driver member. No rigid and unyielding connection is present to permit possible damage. Because the driven means may be rotated through an infinity of positions between the minimum and maximum dispensing time limits, at wide range of dispensing time intervals may be chosen while the synchronous motor operates at a single speed. The apparatus is easy to operate, straightforward in design, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to maintain.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification and appended drawings wherein is illustrated a preferred form of the invention, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the timing apparatus of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view of the timing apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FlGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a detail exploded view illustrating the construction and assembly of one pair of the driven discs.

Referring now to the drawings, the present timing apparatus, designated generally by the numeral 10', comprises a frame or mounting bracket 12 upon which are mounted a drive means or motor 14 which operates to rotate a driver member 16 engageable with a pair of timer means 18 which serve to actuate, respectively, a pair of feeler fingers or switch arms 20 of a pair of switches 22. As will be described. hereinafter, each pair of timer means 18 may be adjusted to control the time delay between initiation of rotation of driver member 16 and actuation of switches 22.

Frame 12 includes a front panel 24, made of sheet metal or the like, which is secured by a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies 26 to a channel-shaped rear bracket or panel 28. Panel 28 is formed so that its laterally extending channel legs space the rear wall of panel 28 away from panel 24 so that driver member 16 and the pair or timer means 18 may be housed between them. With this arrangement, panel 24 and panel 28 also act as end supports for the shafts of the pair of timer means 18, as will be seen.

Drive means 14 is a motor of the well known synchronous type operating at a single speed and is mounted to panel 28 by a pair of nut and bolt assemblies 30, a drive shaft 32 of motor 14 being rotatably disposed through a suitable opening in panel 28. Rigidly keyed to shaft 32 is an element 34 along which driver member 16 is axially slidable, the axial slidable movement of driver member 16 being limited in one direction by a flange 36 carried by element 34, and limited in the other direction by a pin 38 which is transversely disposed through a suitable opening in shaft 32. Driver member 16, which preferably takes the form of a sheet metal disk, is thus adapted to axially move along the smaller diameter portion of element 34 so that it may be properly aligned with the pair of timer means 18. In addition, pin 39, which is mounted to flange 36 and extend-s in an axial direction, is slidably disposed through a suitable opening in driver member 16 so that rotational movement of element 34 is imparted to driver driven members 40 and 42, which preferably each take the form of a sheet metal disk. Disks 4t) and 42 are arranged in adjacent, superposed relationupon a shaft 44, and are axially slidable on shaft 44, the axial slidable movement in one direction being limited by an element 46 which is rigidly keyed to shaft 44, a cork disk 48 being interposed between element 46 and disk 40 for cushioning the engagement therebetween. As best seen in FIGURE 4, element 46 carries a pin 50 which extends axially and which is slidably disposed through suitable openings in cork disk 48, disks 40, and 42 so that cork disk 48, and the pair of disks 40' and 42 rotate with element 46. The axial slidable movement of disk 4i) and 42 in the other direction is limited by a pin 52 which is transversely disposed through a suitable opening in shaft 44. A bias means or spring 54 is interposed between disk 42 and pin 52, and exerts its bias forCe to urge disk 42 toward disk 40. It is noted that the edge portions of disks 40 and 42 are disposed on either side of the edge portion of driver member 16 so that the action of spring 54 is to urge disks 40 and 42 into frictional engagement with driver member 16 whereby rotation of driver member 16 effects rotation of disks 40 and 42. However, it is particularly to be noted that when driver member 16 i constrained against movement, disks 40 and 42 may be rotated when sufiicient torque is applied to shaft 44 to overcome the frictional engagement between drive-r member 16 and disks 40 and 42. This torque is applied by a selector knob 56, which is rigidly keyed to shaft 44. Thus, when knob 56 is rotated to select the amount of cream or sugar, see FIGURE 1, disks 40 and 42 will be rotated independently of driver member 16. The axially slidable mounting of driver member 16 on element 34, and of disks 40 and 42 on shaft 44, permit driver member 16 and disk-s 40 and 42 to be vertically aligned with each other for maximum engagement at their peripheries.

During rotation of disks 49 and 42 a roller 58, carried by switch arm 20 of switches 22, rides over the camming periphery of disks 40' and 42. To terminate a dispensing operation, the roller 58 falls into cut-out portions or detents 60 provided in the edges of disks 40 and 42. The maximum rotational movement of disks 40 and 42 in either dire-ctionis limited by a stop or tab 62 which is carried by or preferably formed in disk 40. This is accomplished by cutting into the edge of disk 40 and bending up" the cut portion to form the tab 62. This tab 62 strikes the edge of a cut-out portion in panel 28, as illustrated in FIGURE 2 to limit clockwise movement, and strikes the lower portion of this cut-out portion of panel 28 to limit counterclockwise movement of disk 40. In operation, the user or operator of either one or both present apparatus rotates the pair of knobs 56 to select the desired amount of, for example, cream or sugar or cream and sugar. That is, rotation of knobs 56 dictates the desired duration of the dispensing operations. Rotation of knobs 56 will in turn rotate disks 40 and 42, and since driver member 16 is at this time normally constrained against movement by reason of the de-energization of motor 14, the rotational movement of disks 40 and 42 will be a slipping one along the adjacent edge portion of driver member 16. Next, assuming that the vending machine is put into operation and motor 14 energized, driver member 16 will rotate and thereby cause rotation of those disks 40 and 42 which have been present for timing operation. During this rotational movement of disks 40 and 42 the dispensing of cream or sugar or cream and sugar will take place. As viewed in FIGURE 2, the disks 40 and 42 were previously rotated by the motor in a clockwise direction, with roller 58 riding upon the outer periphery of disks 40 and 42. As shown, the roller 58 dropped into detent-s 60, operating switch 22 and terminating the dispensing of cream or sugar.

Thus, it will be apparent that the present apparatus 10 is adapted to permit either or the pair of timer means 18 to be rotated independently of driver member 16, and independently of each other to thereby select any desired dispensing time. The slippable engagement between driver member 16 and the pairs of timer means 18 makes it virtually impossible to damage or overload motor =14. The many positions of rotation of each knob 56, and consequently altering of the relative position of each detent 613 with respect to its associated roller 58-, allows an infinity of dispensing times to be selected between the minimum and maximum dispensing time limits dictated by the engagement of tab 62 with the cut-out edge portion of panel 25. Each of the pairs of disks 40 and 42 can be made of different diameters to provide different rates of rotation for each timer means 18 to provide even greater flexibility in the establishment of dispensing times.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims:

I claim:

Timing apparatus comprising in combination, an electric motor; a rotatable disk means positively driven by the motor; a set of tW-O rotatable driven disk means driven by the first mentioned disk means, each of said set of driven disk means being in frictional and yielding relationship, respectively with the first mentioned disk means; stop means for limiting rotatable movement of one of said set of disk means; a second stop means for limiting rotatable movement of the other of said set of disk means; switch means actuated by rotative movement of one of the set of driven disk means; and switch means actuated by r-otative movement of the other of the set of driven disk means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,015,196 Searing Sept. 24, 1935 2,374,590 Dunham Apr. 24, 1945 2,439,732 Haydon Apr. 13, 1948 2,560,516 Mueller July 10, 1951 2,603,287 Midgley July 15, 1952 2,745,918 Stewart 4. May 15, 1956 2,815,411 Schwarzenbach et al. Dec. 3, 1957 2,825,770 Helsper Mar. 4, 1958 2,833,874 Stolle May 6, 1958 2,839,623 Stolle 2- June 17, 1958 

